Boksburg boxer Sibusiso Zingange pummelled Phila Mpontshane to win the South African junior lightweight title at the ESPN Africa Boxing event on February 24.
The orthodox boxer dethroned the champion by unanimous decision after controlling the bout from the first to the last round.
“I’ve wanted this fight for three years. We were supposed to fight in December, but the champion tested positive for Covid-19,” Zingange said.
“I dominated from round one and got what I always wanted. I’m the South African junior lightweight champion.”
The Ramaphosa resident showed his dominance by landing hard jabs that left the champion wobbly on many occasions. In the sixth round, Zingange’s persistence paid off as he left Mpontshane with a cut on his left eye.
He scored a knockdown in the seventh round when he landed a jab that sent the champion to the canvas. From that point, he took full control and by the end of the fight, the champion’s left eye was fully shut.
The judges scored the bout 120-109, 118-109 and 120-109 in favour of Zingange.
Zingange’s trainer Julian Port said he had opportunities to finish the fight early, but they instructed him to punish the champion until the last round.
“Sometimes it’s more rewarding to finish your opponent early. There were a few opportunities to finish the fight, but we instructed him to take his time and outbox the champion in every round.
“We knew if he pushed for the knock-out, it wouldn’t come. On this occasion, we were looking to dish out punishment for 12 rounds. It was personal, as we had a lot to prove,” said Port.
The win took the 28-year-old fighter’s record to 17 wins, five losses and two draws.
Zingange turned professional in 2013. He won his first title in 2016 after beating Ashley Dlamini for the vacant African Boxing Union super featherweight title.
In 2019, he won the WBA Pan African Super Featherweight title in a split decision against Namibia’s Sebastianus Natanael.
He said his career inside the squared circle started coincidentally.
“My career started unexpectedly. I accompanied an acquaintance to the gym in 2000. On that day, I knocked someone out and never looked back afterwards.
“I started my amateur career at Tony Green Hall in Boksburg and trained there until I turned professional. I have over 200 amateur fights under my belt.”
Zingange’s next fight will be in May.
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